


Every Hand's A Winner

by fleurdeliser, tuesdaysgone



Category: Borderlands, Tales from the Borderlands - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Office, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-13
Updated: 2016-03-13
Packaged: 2018-05-26 13:11:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6240622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fleurdeliser/pseuds/fleurdeliser, https://archiveofourown.org/users/tuesdaysgone/pseuds/tuesdaysgone
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Rhys, I swear to god, if you don't get off your ass and do something about your big dumb crush while you're at that conference, I'm going to kill you," Yvette says from the next cube over.</p><p>"How do you know I'm even thinking about that? I am <i>really</i> upset about the Hyp-Link outage," Rhys huffs.</p><p>"You don't use the Hyp-Link," Yvette says dryly. "And you just came back from lunch with him, you lovesick idiot."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Every Hand's A Winner

Rhys sighs heavily and drums his fingers on his desk. He's almost happy when a new email comes in because he needs the distraction. Except it's just some dumb companywide thing from IT informing them all that a system he doesn't even use is experiencing a problem.

"Rhys, I swear to god, if you don't get off your ass and do something about your big dumb crush while you're at that conference, I'm going to kill you," Yvette says from the next cube over.

"How do you know I'm even thinking about that? I am _really_ upset about the Hyp-Link outage," Rhys huffs.

"You don't use the Hyp-Link," Yvette says dryly. "And you just came back from lunch with him, you lovesick idiot."

"He bought me lunch," Rhys sighs again.

"He is trying to woo you through pizza," Yvette says.

"It was sushi this time," Rhys replies.

"Wooing," Yvette repeats. Rhys sighs yet again. "You're going to Vegas," she says. "Perfect place for it."

"It's a conference," Rhys protests. "And Vasquez will be all over us like a bad rash."

"Like that's not every day here anyway," she says.

"And besides," Rhys goes on. "Isn't the saying, 'what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas?' That's like. Not what…" He trails off and thunks his head down against his desk.

"That is _adorable_ ," Yvette coos in a sickly sweet voice. "You want to get married and have tiny babies with tiny pocket protectors."

"Shut up," Rhys mutters and aggressively starts typing.

Yvette just laughs. "That's not a no, Rhys."

"Some people aren't the marriage and babies _type,_ Yvette, don't reinforce stereotypes." It's hard to sound snotty with his face mashed against his desk.

"Uh huh," Yvette says.

Rhys sighs again. Fuck his life. And fuck Yvette. Just then, a messenger window pops up on his screen. He smiles automatically - it's Vaughn.

 _You're picking me up tomorrow, right?_ Vaughn asks.

 _You're right on my way to the airport,_ Rhys types back immediately.

 _Just making sure. Being left behind while you go to Vegas without me would suck,_ Vaughn replies.

 _Bro, I would never!_ Rhys responds

 _I know, I know. Just checking,_ Vaughn says.

Rhys beams stupidly at the computer screen, heart doing a quick little tattoo. Fuck, Yvette is right. Something has to give. He's never met anyone he feels as comfortable with as this scrawny little accountant.

 _Hey,_ he types before he can talk himself out of it. _I'm really looking forward to this. It'll be fun._

 _Bro! Me too! I've never been!_ The exclamation points are reassuring.

 _If we can just ditch Vasquez, we'll have it made,_ he replies.

 _Screw that dude,_ Vaughn writes back immediately, with the security of someone who doesn't have to expect his sudden presence in the corridor at any moment.

 _For real,_ Rhys replies, closes the chat window and opens it again to get rid of the conversation history.

Not three minutes later, he hears Vasquez in the corridor. He brings up his work and starts in, hoping Vasquez will ignore him if he looks busy. The problem is, even the sound of the guy's voice makes him grind his teeth.

Luckily for his dental plan, he has plenty to do to carry him through the afternoon, starts loudly packing up his laptop bag at 4:55. He clocks out at 5 on the dot and tries not to sprint to the elevators. He hears Yvette laughing at him as he goes.

 _Fuck you,_ he texts her on the way down.

 _Fuck you too,_ she replies. _See you next week. You better get yourself laid._

If only. Rhys stares dreamily at the elevator doors until they ping for the lobby.

//

The next day, he manages to get himself and his luggage into his car and over to Vaughn's precisely on time. He's stupidly impressed with himself. He jumps out of the car to help Vaughn load his own bag. Vaughn, typically, refuses to relinquish his laptop bag.

Rhys smiles, shakes his head, and gets back in the driver's seat, trying not to study him too obviously. "Okay! To the airport! And we aren't even stuck on the same flight as Vasquez."

"Thank fuck! Though I wouldn't mind the business class seats." Vaughn pats his laptop bag nervously. "Work on the slides for the presentation a little more, you know?"

"Vaughn, I told you you didn't have to worry about that, it's my thing," Rhys murmurs.

"You're gonna be awesome, and I'm gonna help you be awesome," Vaughn says. "That's how things work."

"Well, yeah, I definitely wouldn't want to do it without you," Rhys agrees immediately.

Vaughn beams at him, eyes keen and earnest behind his glasses. "Lucky you, you don't have to. Thanks for going to bat for me, man. Accountants never get to go to conferences."

"As if I wouldn't! This project was both of us," Rhys assures him. "Plus. Vegas. You - gamble, right?"

Vaughn smiles. "Sometimes. Depends on the stakes."

"What stakes are those?" Rhys asks casually.

"If I know I'm going to win," Vaughn says. "And I count cards reasonably well, so there's that."

"Of course you do," Rhys says weakly. It takes a lot of willpower for Rhys to start up the car and pull out of his parking spot, rather than lean over and kiss Vaughn like he wants to.

Vaughn keeps up a running conversation on the drive to the airport. They have to circle the terminal once because Rhys misses the longterm parking entrance, but eventually, they get parked and onto the shuttle. Vaughn looks around at everything with interest. Rhys is pretty sure he travels occasionally, so this is just...the way he is. God, Rhys likes him so much. It's a fucking problem.

They get through security without any incident, and get coffees and snacks and find their gate, and before long they're boarding. Rhys doesn't know why he feels so _nervous_. It's not like he's never been to a conference before.

Okay. He knows. He's never been anywhere with Vaughn before. He tries not to jitter too much, but he's not really that successful. It's hard to be lanky and fidgety, and Vaughn pats him on his knee when they buckle into their seats. That...both helps and does not help. It does help him stop jiggling his leg, though.

"A couple of hours and we'll be in Vegas," Vaughn says with an encouraging smile. "Ready for blastoff?"

"Guess so," Rhys agrees. He takes a breath and stares out the window as the plane takes off.

By the time they land, he and Vaughn have been over their slides several times. At the very least, he feels very well-prepared for the presentation. He is not well-prepared for anything else going on in his life.

He has to grin at the sight of Vaughn's face when they hit the strip.

"You know how you think you're prepared for something because you've seen pictures of it so much?" Vaughn asks.

"Sure," Rhys says easily.

"This is like that. It's way cooler in person," Vaughn says.

Rhys smiles. "Glad you like it."

"This is gonna be _great_ , bro," Vaughn gushes. "I hope our room is nice. Is our room nice? I bet you could talk them into an upgrade, Rhys, you can talk anyone into anything."

Rhys grins. "I booked us a nice room, bro. Though, if the opportunity to get an upgrade presents itself..."

Vaughn actually cackles. "You know you want to see what it's like to be a high-roller."

Rhys sighs heavily. "I really do."

"You'll think of something," Vaughn assures him.

"If nothing else, there's always fake it 'til we make it, right?"

Vaughn shakes his head. "I don't know man, I think you could. Me? Not so much."

"That's not true!" Rhys protests. "You're management material if I ever saw it."

"Maybe. But whatever that 'thing' is people talk about sometimes, you've got it."

Rhys beams stupidly and concentrates on pulling over to the curb without looking at Vaughn, handing the keys to the valet and gesturing Vaughn to go into the hotel first.

"Holy shit," Vaughn breathes. "I can't believe we're at the Bellagio."

Rhys grins. "Wanna pull some sweet Ocean's Eleven moves with me?"

"Hell yes," Vaughn replies and holds up his fist. Rhys bumps it with his and they make their way to the check-in desk.

Unfortunately, when they get there they have to wait in line, and the girls in front of them are Ocean's Twelve level, easy. "How did you even afford this place, Fi?" the shorter one with locs asks sotto voce.

"Don't you worry about it," answers the one with the pink streak in her hair.

"Fi," she says.

"Seriously, Sasha," Pink Streak replies. "This is me, doing something nice for my sister. Stop questioning it."

Rhys suspects a fellow bullshitter at work, but it really isn't his business at all so he just stares at the marble columns beside the desk and pretends to be deaf.

"Well, you picked a great weekend for it," the sister says with a slightly curled lip. "There's some big corporate convention here or something."

Pink Hair shoots a sneering look back at the two of them. "Hadn't noticed."

He and Vaughn share an eye roll. Whatever. Finally the sisters get called to another check-in clerk. "Excuse us for living," Vaughn mutters.

"They're at the _Bellagio,_ so it's not like they shun all things corporate," Rhys points out.

Vaughn snorts. "True."

"And anyway, our quarterly bonuses were more than they probably make in a year," Rhys says. It's a snotty thing to say, but with Hyperion, low pay is definitely not a common complaint.

They get called up to the desk, get checked in, and find the elevators. Vaughn is bouncing on his toes next to Rhys. Rhys kind of wants to hug him. A lot. Instead, he just grins.

He hands Vaughn the card key for the door. Vaughn grins and slides it into the lock. The LED changes to green and he opens the door.

"How did you _do_ that?" Rhys asks. "It always takes me, like, three tries to open a hotel door."

"Magic hands," Vaughn says, and winks. Rhys laughs and tries not to trip over his fucking luggage.

Vaughn makes an impressed noise when he gets into the room. It's not a full suite, but it's bigger and nicer than any hotel Rhys has ever stayed in in his life. It also has two beds - though Rhys had seriously considered the benefits vs drawbacks of an "accidental" king suite booking and decided it was too creepy - but at least they're both queen-size. 

Vaughn claims the bed closest to the window, tossing his suitcase on it, then moving to look outside. "How long 'til the reception?" he asks.

"Couple of hours," Rhys replies.

"Do we have to dress up?" Vaughn asks.

"The program says yes," Rhys replies.

Vaughn gets a little furrow of concentration between his brows and goes for his suitcase. "Do you think they'd iron shit if we asked?" he asks. "Is that a service provided?"

"I usually just do my own," Rhys says. "Do you... Need a hand?"

"I know how to iron," Vaughn says. "I'd just…rather not."

Rhys smiles at him. "Well, if you want, I can do it for you," he says.

"You don't have to do that," Vaughn protests.

Rhys shrugs. "I wouldn't mind." He stalks over and holds out a hand. "Clothes."

"Fine, fine," Vaughn says and hands over his clothes.

Rhys gets the iron and board set up and nods at the tv. "Find us a movie or something?"

"Sure," Vaughn says and flops down on his bed. He starts chattering again, but this time it blends into the background as Rhys irons. It's...nice. Rhys is one hundred percent certain he shouldn't be enjoying this as much as he is. On the plus side, also, it's hard to think about the looming presentation with this distraction.

Rhys goes ahead and does his own clothes, too, and they end up watching a shitty comedy special and laughing at their own jokes even more than the comedian's. He hadn't realized they'd come up with so many inside jokes in their lunches and elevator rides and occasional beers after work.

"Shit," Vaughn finally says. We need to get down to the ballroom."

Rhys would almost prefer to stay here with Vaughn, but he's sure the reception will be fun. He starts unbuttoning his shirt. Vaughn's eyes go wide and Rhys suddenly feels super awkward. But he keeps going because there's no reason not to. He's just...the most awkward human alive. That's a thing he has to live with. He tries not to stare too obviously back at Vaughn.

Except...Vaughn gets his shirt off and Rhys's whole world shifts. "Bro," he says in awe.

"What?" Vaughn asks and then catches Rhys's line of sight. "Oh! I, uh. Started working out?"

"Like. How many hours a day?" Rhys mumbles.

"Um. Not that many? Like, one or less," Vaughn replies.

Vaughn is weirdly jacked. Rhys is speechless. "I…wow," Rhys finally says.

"Hey, thanks," Vaughn smiles. And puts a shirt back on, which means Rhys may regain his faculties sooner or later.

He tries to finish buttoning his shirt without fumbling. He fails. Gritting his teeth, he turns to the mirror and tries again. He finally gets the buttons done and manages to tie his tie without incident, so at least he has that going for him.

"Nice suit," Vaughn says.

Rhys swallows. "Thanks," he says and glances at Vaughn and then his jaw drops again. "You too. Fuck, talk about Ocean's Eleven." Vaughn's grin makes Rhys's breath catch in his throat. "Ready to go mingle?"

"As I'll ever be," Vaughn says.

"Stick with me and we'll rock that room," Rhys says.

Vaughn smiles and holds the door. Rhys has a crazy impulse to take Vaughn's hand. He stops himself. He does strut a little when they walk into the ballroom, though. Not enough that anyone would notice, really. Just enough. He sees a few heads turn, which is enough for him.

They collect their name tags and, by unspoken agreement, make a beeline to the bar. Rhys orders something brightly colored and fruity and turns to survey the room. Vaughn hovers at his elbow. "Go namedrop Hyperion, or wait for them to come to us?"

"They can come to us," Rhys says with a little more confidence than he feels.

"Finish that story you started on the plane, about the IT guy and the actuarial analyst."

Rhys grins and launches into the story. By the time he's done, there's a small crowd around them, but the only thing he really cares about is Vaughn's laughter.

He doesn't get to hear nearly enough of it before a much-hated and instantly recognizable voice floats in on the heavily air-conditioned breeze. Rhys does a fairly good job of keeping his voice even, but _god_ , he was hoping to avoid that asshole tonight. He should have figured it would be impossible. He exchanges a look with Vaughn and wonders if they can still avoid him.

Vaughn steps neatly into Rhys's conversation and tugs him away in the opposite direction. Rhys loves Vaughn stupid amounts.

"Play it cool," he mutters.

"That's what we're doing," Vaughn says. Rhys was talking to himself, but never mind.

"Yeah," Rhys says.

Vaughn leads him to the other side of the room, as far from Vasquez as they can get. He also gets Rhys another drink and stands in front of him, which is hilarious because Rhys is a foot taller...but sweet.

"Seriously, there's got to be a way we can avoid him for at least this evening," Vaughn mutters.

"Run away?" Rhys suggests.

"Don't quote me on this, but I'm pretty sure that defeats the point of networking," Vaughn says dryly.

Rhys grimaces. "Rather just hang out with you," he mutters.

Vaughn beams at him, and god, Rhys wants to do way more than return his fistbump. "We gotta get you promoted out of Vasquez's reach. Networking is part of that."

Fine, fine. Rhys can handle this. All of this. Really.

They stay in their corner for a couple more minutes, then circle around to a group of people nearby. "Atlas," Vaughn grumbles.

"Networking, right?" Rhys says and they both start chatting with the people closest to them. It goes well, honestly; neither Rhys nor Vaughn have any issue _talking_ for any length of time.

They do well avoiding Vasquez until the reception is winding down. It's amazing how much just the way the guy pronounces Rhys's _name_ is enough to make him grind his teeth.

"Vasquez," Rhys says with the falsest smile he can muster. "Glad to see you got here."

This prompts a monologue about Vasquez's travel annoyances, but at least it doesn't require Rhys's participation. "You would think flying first class would solve these problems," Vasquez says and Rhys's eyes nearly roll out of his head. Then he asks about Rhys's presentation, and Rhys goes tense.

He's ready. He's fine. But Vasquez asking about it makes his palms sweat.

Vaughn shoots him a look that he can't quite read. Vasquez doesn't seem to notice, so Rhys counts it as a win. He doesn't know how to get out of the conversation, though. He's completely certain Vasquez is droning on precisely because he knows Rhys would rather talk to anyone else in the world.

 _Help me,_ he tries to psychically beam to Vaughn.

"Oh hey, is that Marguerite?" Vaughn asks after a beat, pointing at a woman across the room. "Have you seen her since college? I haven't."

"Oh, wow!" Rhys enthuses. "Sorry, Big Guy, Vaughn and I have to go catch her. I'm pretty sure I still owe her beer money." They move quickly across the room. "You're a genius," Rhys mutters to Vaughn.

"Please; that was junior varsity," Vaughn laughs.

"It was perfect," Rhys says. "I could not listen to him talk for another minute."

"We have to go say hi to a perfect stranger now," Vaughn says apologetically.

"That is completely okay," Rhys says. "We'll call it more networking. Maybe she'll be cool."

"Maybe," Vaughn shrugs. "God, I need another drink, though."

"Me too," Rhys replies. "We'll talk to her, then go get drinks."

The problem, when they get across the room, is that the woman isn't a complete stranger after all.

"Well, shit," Rhys says. "That complicates things."

"What's she even doing here?"

"Deliberately messing with us," Rhys says. "Only explanation."

Vaughn laughs. "Unlikely." Rhys isn't so sure. He's not that lucky.

"Hi," he says to the woman with the pink stripe in her hair who is definitely not here for the conference. "Listen, I won't tell security you're not actually supposed to be here if you help us avoid talking to our asshole colleague."

"Wow, what a hero," she snarks.

Rhys tries not to pout. Yes, he was eavesdropping earlier. It's just what he does. He glances over his shoulder and grimaces at Vasquez making his way in their direction. "Listen, he's coming over here. Your name is Marguerite and the three of us went to college together."

Rhys can tell the exact moment she spots Vasquez by the disgusted look on her face. "Ugh. I completely understand, but you owe me a drink for this."

"Absolutely," Vaughn says. "Lots of drinks."

"So, are you going to introduce me to your friend, ladies?" Vasquez asks. Rhys is going to kill him someday. He's going to kill him, and he's going to _like_ it.

"Marguerite," Rhys says. "Hugo Vasquez. A coworker."

"Nice to meet you, Hugo," she says and wow, she's good. She almost sounds like she means it. Enough that Vasquez won't notice, anyway.

"Charmed," Vasquez smiles greasily. "How long have you known these boys?"

"Oh, since freshman year of college, probably. We had an accounting class together," she says. Rhys tries not to boggle at her. That's how he and Vaughn met in the first place.

"Yes! They took turns tutoring me," Rhys grins toothily at Vasquez. It's the worst thing to say though, because Vasquez gets distracted by the fact that Rhys was bad at accounting. Rhys wants to strangle him. Slowly. He couldn't have gone for the easy innuendo, of course not.

"As amusing as this is," the woman interrupts with a sweet smile. "These boys promised me a late dinner."

Rhys bites his tongue on an exclamation of "Dinner?"

"We did," Vaughn says, playing along perfectly. "Lots to catch up on."

"So much," Rhys agrees quickly. "But hey, enjoy your night!"

The woman hooks her hands in their elbows and tugs then toward the doors. "Seriously you're buying my sister and me dinner for that. Just talking to that guy made me feel like I need a shower."

"Welcome to our world," Vaughn grumbles.

"I almost feel genuinely sorry for you," she says.

"No, you don't," Rhys snarks.

"I said almost," she says. "Ugh."

"So where is your sister, anyway?" Vaughn asks.

"Up in our room waiting for me to come back. Sasha...isn't as good at bullshitting her way through situations," the woman replies.

"Were you seriously just trying to score some drinks?" Rhys asks.

"Among other things," she says, and Rhys feels for his wallet. She smirks. "You already said you'd buy me dinner. I'm Fiona, by the way."

"Rhys."

"And I'm Vaughn."

"Cozy," she chuckles. "Let me just call Sasha."

While she hits send to call her sister, Rhys looks at Vaughn. "What did we just get ourselves into?" he whispers.

"Trouble. Like you're surprised," Vaughn whispers back.

"I mean, not _really_ , but I didn't expect it so soon," Rhys says.

Vaughn just laughs. He sounds a little nervous. "Anyway, we got away from Vasquez. That's what counts."

"Yeah," Rhys replies. "Definitely."

"Also, Vegas!" Vaughn says brightly. "How bad could it -"

Rhys claps a hand over his mouth. "Do not finish that sentence." Vaughn rolls his eyes, but dutifully stops talking.

Fiona clicks her phone off and eyes the two of them with amusement. "All right, then, if that's the way it is..."

"I, um," Rhys says. Vaughn doesn't say anything. He can't, until Rhys removes his hand of course. "Oops. Let's go get drinks. And dinner. And drinks."

"Sasha will be down in a minute," Fiona says.

"Where to?" Rhys asks, nervously smoothing his palms against his trouser legs.

"There's a restaurant here in the hotel Sasha and I wanted to try," she says.

Pros: easy escape. Cons: lots of other conference people to possibly make fools of themselves in front of.

"If it's the nice Italian place, can I suggest avoiding that? I heard Vasquez say something about going there at some point," Vaughn says.

Fiona makes a face. "Ugh. No, it's the Asian fusion place."

"Then I think we're good," Vaughn says. He's taking the lead all of a sudden. Rhys doesn't mind. Fiona makes him feel - awkward. Really, a lot of things are making him feel awkward at this very moment, but he's just gonna go ahead and blame Fiona.

And Sasha, when she appears in the casino lobby a moment later. They're both incredibly pretty and...Rhys doesn't even know. It's not that they aren't in his league--though they probably aren't--they're in a whole other world. They look like they belong here, though, with the flashing lights and the chatter of slots. Rhys and Vaughn look like they belong in offices behind desks. Which...they do. Rhys sighs.

"These guys?" Sasha asks, walking up to them. "Seriously, Fi?"

"I was feeling charitable," Fiona grumbles.

"Hey," Rhys says. "This is your payment for services rendered. Not, uh, that kind," he backpedals quickly. "I mean. Hey. You didn't have to help, sure."

"If I hadn't, I'm pretty sure that guy would've just started licking you right there in the middle of the reception room."

Rhys gags. "Oh my god, why would you - that is so gross. Oh my god." He looks to Vaughn for help. At least he looks equally grossed out. Unfortunately, he also nods in agreement.

"Bro. Did you not know?"

"No!" Rhys says. He has never been more horrified in his entire life.

"Sorry," says Fiona, sounding exceedingly not sorry. "I was saving that whole room from the unimaginable."

"My hero," Sasha says, hooking her hand in Fiona's elbow. "Are we eating? I'm starved."

"Totally eating," Vaughn says. "I'm starved too."

"I don't think I'll ever be able to eat again," Rhys moans.

"Hey," Vaughn murmurs, leaning in. "Forget him, okay? He's a shitstain. Food," Vaughn says, shoving him gently in the correct direction.

"Yeah," Rhys says. None of this evening is working out how he would prefer.

Once they get a table at the restaurant, though, there are drinks. Lots of them, with garish colors and improbable garnishes. He feels way better now. And the girls are much more fun than he expected them to be. Not that he can't tell they're making fun of him constantly. But he doesn't care so much. He makes fun right back. It's…nice. And Vaughn is right next to him, which is nicer. Rhys leans up against him as much as he dares.

Vaughn leans back, which honestly makes him want to drape himself all over Vaughn. He refrains, though. For now. Yvette's threat suddenly springs to mind. He won't have a better chance than this. He'll. Do something. Somehow. He's drunk enough that the prospect isn't quite as terrifying as it usually is.

"Now what?" he asks when they've paid their bill. He's asking _Vaughn_ , because he's pretty sure the sisters are going to run for the hills.

"Gambling?" Vaughn says and Rhys can't tell if he's joking or not.

"Yeah?" he replies.

"Oh my god, get a room," Sasha says.

"We have one," Rhys says automatically. Then blushes. Shit.

"Then _use_ it," Fiona suggests and Vaughn starts blushing too. Neither of them say anything else though.

"Slots?" Vaughn finally suggests. "We could go play the slots."

"Yes," Rhys says immediately. "Coming?" he asks Sasha and Fiona.

"Sure," Fiona says dryly after exchanging looks with Sasha.

He's not even sure why he asked. Still, they're sort of fun and he's...he's drunk and he's not ready to say what he needs to say to Vaughn. He would much rather be drunk, and probably lose a week's salary. So they go to the casino and the slot machines and honestly, it's a ridiculous amount of fun. Especially when Sasha hits a winning streak.

Eventually they send Rhys off for drinks, and Vaughn decides to tag along. He thinks this will be where the girls will ditch them, maybe.

As they wander past the blackjack tables Vaughn stops to watch. "You wanna play?" Rhys asks him.

"Maybe when I'm...a little more sober," Vaughn replies with a laugh, rubbing his hand over his neck.

"Bet you're still good," Rhys tells him.

"Maybe, but it's better to start sober," Vaughn says with a wistful little tone, and Rhys isn't entirely certain what they're talking about anymore. His pulse thumps.

"It's up to you," Rhys says after a moment of quiet. "I just want to spend time with you."

And that...was almost definitely too much, but Vaughn _beams_ at him. "Me too, bro," he says.

"Think they've ditched us yet?" Rhys says, tilting his head back toward the slots.

"Dunno," Vaughn replies. "They seem to like us better than anticipated."

"Yeah, what's with that?" Rhys asks.

"Clearly we are naturally charming and fun," Vaughn replies. "Or, they're trying to con us."

Rhys shrugs. "Who can tell? Let me know when you're ready to cash in, though. Don't forget we have tomorrow."

"Oh god," Vaughn moans. "Tomorrow hadn't even entered my mind."

Rhys squeezes his shoulder. "Sorry."

Vaughn laughs. "At least we'll be mildly hung over together?"

"I do my best work mildly hung over."

"At least one of us does," Vaughn sighs. "I go crosseyed and want to throw up on my keyboard."

"You're not allowed to do that tomorrow," Rhys tells him.

"Ugh," Vaughn says. "I'll try. Maybe with the help of like, a gallon of water."

"We can go," Rhys offers again.

Vaughn sighs. "Maybe we should."

"Let's see if we can find the girls and say goodbye. And thanks again for the rescue," Rhys says. Vaughn nods. Rhys touches his elbow as they walk back across the casino floor.

They find the girls and Sasha has, apparently, won something like $150 more since they left, which is hilarious and ridiculous. She waves off their congratulations. "I'm just a lucky girl," she says with a shrug and a smile.

Rhys smiles back and hands her a fresh drink. "I think we're gonna head up to our rooms now," he says after a minute. "We've got a lot of conferencing to do tomorrow."

"Hey, it was fun, Hyperion," Fiona says. "I might even rescue you again without demanding payment, should it come to that."

"High praise," Rhys replies. "I guess we'll look for you at the hotel bar again tomorrow, just in case."

Fiona and Sasha wave as they leave. Rhys kind of hopes they do find each other again. They spend too much time around other office monkeys. It's nice to hear stories from people who don't stare at code all day.

The elevator is pretty full and he and Vaughn end up pressed close together. It's. A lot. Vaughn smiles up at him, looking mostly steady and not nearly as drunk as he was implying earlier. Rhys smiles back and he's so distracted, he almost forgets to get off at their floor. It also takes him four tries to open their door, but that's fairly standard.

Vaughn is definitely laughing at him. "Should have let me do it, bro."

"It was a matter of pride!" Rhys replies. "I couldn't be defeated by a keycard."

"Hate to break it to you, but you were a little bit defeated by a keycard," Vaughn says.

Rhys tosses it on the dresser. "We are inside. Ergo, I won."

"Keep telling yourself that," Vaughn says and flops down on his bed face-first.

"No, no," Rhys scolds. "That is no way to treat a nice suit."

"Ugh," Vaughn replies and pushes back up off the bed with a moan. "You're the worst."

"Only if that means best," Rhys says, actually sitting on his hands so he won't do anything dumb.

"It always means best," Vaughn mutters as he unbuttons his suit jacket.

Yep. Still sitting on his hands over here, though inconveniently that means Rhys can't scratch his eyes out to stop staring. He could look away, he supposes. But that would feel even more obvious and awkward. God, he's a mess.

 _Why am I so bad at this?_ he mentally texts Yvette. It's easy to imagine her reply. He's heard them all. He's pretty sure the answer, both Yvette's and his own, is because he's the most awkward human alive when it comes to anything other than his work and corporate intrigues. And while Rhys has treated some of his relationships like corporate intrigues...he doesn't want to do that with Vaughn.

"Aren't you going to bed?" Vaughn asks, stifling a yawn, and Rhys jumps up to shrug out of his jacket.

"Yeah," Rhys replies. "Yeah. Just zoning."

"Know what's better than zoning while sitting in your nice clothes?" Vaughn asks. "Zoning in bed."

Rhys nods mutely, not trusting himself to reply. "Don't forget water," he manages to say when he hears Vaughn move behind him toward the bathroom

"You too," Vaughn chuckles.

Rhys puts on his pajama pants and t-shirt and waits for Vaughn to be done in the bathroom. When he comes out, Rhys wants to fucking hug him and his stupid, baggy sweatshirt.

"Nice pajamas," Vaughn says. "They sort of match your socks."

Rhys grins. "I know. I did that on purpose."

"You're such a weirdo," Vaughn says and he sounds so _fond_.

"Maybe," Rhys shrugs. "At least I amuse myself." He climbs into bed, watching Vaughn do the same. Vaughn reaches over and turns out the lamp between their beds and Rhys takes a breath, staring into the dark. "Hey, sleep well," he says.

"You too," Vaughn replies softly.

Hah. But even as Rhys laughs at the thought, his eyes start to droop.

The next day, he wakes up feeling vaguely off and having no idea where he is. He grumbles, and someone grumbles back. Rhys blinks and looks around. There's sun coming through a gap in the curtains and Vaughn is looking back at him from the other bed.

"Vaughn," Rhys breathes.

"Morning," Vaughn replies. His voice is low and a little bit scratchy and Rhys bites his lip.

"You been awake for long?" Rhys coughs and focuses on the clock. They have enough time for breakfast, if they eat it fast.

"No," Vaughn replies. "I think we woke up at the same time. Maybe we're psychically linked."

"What'm I thinking?" Rhys mumbles.

"That we should get up and eat breakfast," Vaughn says.

"Actually, yeah. First shower?"

"You take it," Vaughn smiles.

"Thanks," Rhys says and rolls out of bed. He showers quickly and turns on the TV while Vaughn takes his shower. His phone buzzes after a couple of minutes of whatever local morning show is on.

 _Have you done anything yet?_ Yvette. _Never mind, I can guess,_ she texts again immediately.

Rhys texts back a series of frowning emojis and then, _At least let us get our presentation done before you start nagging me._

 _So dedicated,_ she texts back with a money bag emoji. Also the monkey.

Rhys texts back the middle finger emoji and puts down his phone. He goes to fix his hair. Might as well look his best for whatever this ends up being.

Vaughn emerges from the bathroom on a cloud of nice-smelling steam without a shirt on and Rhys has to try _really hard_ not to drool. "You should go to the presentation like that," he says.

Vaughn laughs and runs a hand through his wet hair. "I feel like that would be a bad idea."

"Nah, it'd be totally memorable," Rhys says. "People would be like, 'oh yeah, that thing the guy with the abs and his giraffe friend did.'"

Vaughn goes a little pink. "I don't think that's what they'd call you."

"Maybe if they could even look away from your abs," Rhys replies. He should probably not keep discussing Vaughn's abs. He should definitely stop staring at them. "I need coffee," he sighs.

"God, me too," Vaughn says. "Give me five minutes and we can head down."

Rhys nods and goes back to his phone. He ignores the laughing emojis from Yvette and checks his email. There's a friend request from Fiona. He beams down at it for a moment. "I didn't think she liked us."

"Who? What?" Vaughn asks, pulling a shirt over his head.

"Oh, I have a friend request from Fiona," Rhys replies.

"Oh really?" Vaughn doesn't sound thrilled.

Rhys blinks. "Yeah. Did…you not like them?"

"Did you?" Vaughn asks.

"Yeah? They're fun. Interesting," Rhys replies.

"Pretty?"

"I mean, sure," Rhys replies with a shrug. "Super pretty. But I'm not like, interested. I, ah. Anyway."

Vaughn squints a little. "Anyway?"

Rhys tries not to panic. "Just. Talking. Hey, so breakfast?"

Vaughn picks up his laptop bag. "Breakfast."

Rhys smiles and gets his own things and they make their way down to the lobby. It's full of hungover corporate zombies. He can think of better company, but at least Vaughn is with him. And insists on buying him breakfast, which apparently is a trend that is still continuing.

"I'm gonna have to come up with a good way to thank you," Rhys says with a smile.

"Okay, I'll be waiting," Vaughn tells him, cheeks going a bit pink.

Rhys bites his lip and holds himself very still so he doesn't lean in and kiss Vaughn right there. He freely admits he's an idiot. But that - felt like a signal. A big, blinking one. He bounces up on his toes. Time needs to move faster.

"Conference time," he says to Vaughn, a little breathless.

"Yeah," Vaughn says. "We've got this, bro."

Their presentation isn't until after the mid-morning break. Rhys is so focused on thinking about Vaughn, that he doesn't really get nervous until they get into the room. Fucking Vasquez is sitting in the back row, which is just - evil. Except for how Vasquez makes his competitive side kick in, and Rhys _really_ wants to show that asshole exactly how awesome he and Vaughn are. He tries to hold back his smirk into a confident smile, watching Vaughn closely for the thumbs-up that the AV is ready to go.

They fucking _kill_ their presentation. They're funny and informative and everyone comes up to them after to shake their hands and tell them how great they were. Rhys is pretty sure he could run a mile on sheer goodwill alone, and his pocket is full of cards. Some of them weren't passed over with an entirely businesslike smile, either.

Flattering as it may be, Rhys kind of can't wait to get Vaughn alone. Vaughn is beaming at him every time Rhys glances over. Rhys beams back. He can't help it. That Vaughn is happy is better than anything else. Vaughn's a worrier, after all.

Finally, everyone breaks away to hit to lunch buffet before their afternoon sessions. Rhys grabs Vaughn's wrist and tugs him out of the room.

"We have a 1:30 on brand management," Vaughn protests.

"Fuck brand management," Rhys says.

"Who are you and what have you done with my best friend?" Vaughn asks.

"I don't know," Rhys says despairingly. "All I know is that I don't want to go to brand management. I want to hang out with you."

"Okay, fine. But if Vasquez catches us, you get to do the talking."

"They wouldn't have held the conference in Vegas if they didn't expect people to skip out," Rhys says stubbornly, hooking his hand in Vaughn's elbow and steering.

Vaughn smiles at him. "Where are we going?"

"You're going to win us some money."

Vaughn laughs, surprised and delighted. "Okay, sure."

Rhys keeps a hand on him, since he's not complaining. He feels warm and he keeps smiling and Rhys's every instinct tells him to push Vaughn up against a wall and kiss the fuck out of him. He can't do it. He can't. "Vaughn," he puffs out helplessly.

"Yeah?" Vaughn murmurs, expression shading to confusion. "What's up?"

"Tell me I'm being stupid."

"Um? I kind of have to know what you think you're being stupid about to do that, bro," he says.

"No you don't," Rhys argues.

"I mean, I can give you bullshit, but you'll know that's what it is," Vaughn says. "Let's just go play cards and maybe have a drink. You always get tense like this after you hand in big projects, bro, you're totally backwards." Vaughn smiles again as he says it.

Rhys takes a breath. On the one hand, he's right. On the other, he's seven hundred percent certain this specific feeling won't go away with booze and cards because _it never has_. His phone buzzes in his pocket and he sighs.

 _So how'd it go?_ Yvette asks.

"Who is it?" Vaughn asks.

"Yvette," he replies. "Wants to know how it went."

"You can text her back," Vaughn says. "I don't mind. I'll go get us drinks? You want one, right?"

"Hold on," Rhys says and holds out his phone, flicking open the camera. "Smile for Yvette."

Vaughn smiles obediently, glasses slipping down his nose. Rhys snaps the picture and sends it to Yvette. _It went great. We're playing hooky and getting drinks and finding some card games._

 _He doesn't look debauched,_ Yvette replies.

 _GIVE ME TIME,_ Rhys replies.

She sends him back the clock emoji, the absolute hag. He sends back the middle finger again and puts his phone back in his pocket.

Vaughn is making a beeline to the blackjack tables again. He's got two drinks in hand, so Rhys follows him. Cards and drinks. Then maybe Rhys can get his courage up.

Except Vaughn wasn't kidding when he said he was good, and sooner than Rhys would have thought possible, he's won a _lot_ of money.

"Holy shit, dude," Rhys says.

Vaughn laughs softly and tugs at his collar. "I, ah, think they're about to start watching for cheating."

Rhys fixes the collar for him with gentle fingers. "Cash out, then. We can come back later."

Vaughn nods and smiles. "So dinner is _definitely_ on me."

"Okay," Rhys murmurs. "What next?"

"Um," Vaughn says. "I…not another session."

"Want to go out and walk?" Rhys asks hopefully.

"Sure," Vaughn replies. Rhys smiles and they change course to the front doors. Getting out into the (frankly blinding) sunlight helps, though he didn't really expect it to. It's _warm_. Rhys hadn't noticed he was feeling a bit cold until they got out here. He's got the shakes. Probably not just from the cold.

"Let's go look at the fountain," Rhys says.

"I bet it's cooler at night," Vaughn points out.

He's probably right. "Let's go...look at some other stuff?"

"Sure," Vaughn says. "Rhys…are you okay?"

"I don't know," he laughs helplessly. "I just need a distraction." Except what he needs a distraction from is Vaughn and he can't bear the thought of not being around Vaughn.

"Okay," Vaughn says softly. "Let's walk. I hear there's a pirate ship somewhere." He manages to sound both gentle and excited.

Rhys runs a hand through his hair to keep himself from grabbing Vaughn's hand and they start walking down the Strip. Vaughn's looking around with that wide-eyed expression Rhys loves.

"It's pretty incredible," Vaughn says, looking at Rhys.

"Yeah," Rhys replies smiling at him. For a city in the desert. But it has Vaughn in it. "A bit warm," Rhys says before he says something stupider.

"Compared to the mothership," Vaughn laughs and elbows him.

Rhys skitters away with a laugh. "The mothership is fucking freezing all the time."

"You just have no padding." Vaughn pokes him again when he gets within reach.

"Hey!" Rhys yelps and grabs Vaughn's hand. Vaughn tugs him closer and pinches his side. "Heyyyy," Rhys says, but doesn't move away at all, doesn't let go of Vaughn.

Bros don't walk down the sidewalk in broad daylight cuddling. But Vaughn isn't quick to pull away, either, and it's. Fuck. If this is what Rhys gets, he's fucking taking it.

He drapes an arm over Vaughn's shoulders instead. "I see your pirate ship."

Vaughn grins up at him. "Maybe we'll get kidnapped."

"Maybe," Rhys says, biting his lip.

"As long as we're together, it'll be fine," Vaughn says.

"That's true," Rhys says. Of, like, life.

After the pirate ship, they find the roller coaster, because why not. They both scream their heads off and it's so fucking fun. He's pretty sure he's more genuinely terrified than Vaughn is, but that's par for the course.

When they stumble back onto the observation platform, Rhys checks his phone. They've definitely missed the afternoon sessions. He doesn't care, not even a little bit.

"That was awesome," Vaughn breathes. He trips a little, catches himself on Rhys's elbow, and Rhys just - hauls him closer, steadies him on his feet, and doesn't let go. They're really fucking high up.

"Vaughn," he breathes.

And because Vaughn is _always_ braver than him, he leans up and presses his lips to the corner of Rhys's mouth. Rhys actually whimpers, because he is actually that uncool.

Vaughn laughs a little bit and puts a hand around the back of Rhys's neck. "You're okay with that, right? Please tell me you're okay with that."

"So okay with that," Rhys replies breathlessly. "Like, I was working up to it. Like. Tonight? Yvette's been nagging."

"Did I mess up your plans?" Vaughn actually looks contrite. "I just -"

"No, oh my god, no, I had no _plans_ , bro, I was just - I - do it again," Rhys pleads.

"Yeah, okay," Vaughn replies and leans in, kissing him properly this time. He's smiling when he pulls back. "Is this why you've been so -"

"Yeah," Rhys admits, then, "Again, please."

Vaughn laughs and leans up to kiss him again, but they're both smiling too much for it to be good.

"You're such a weirdo," Vaughn tells him. "What, uh. What else do you want to do?"

"You?" Rhys says and then moans. "I didn't mean to say that. Strike that from the record."

Vaughn laughs. "Nope."

Rhys groans again and covers his face with a hand. "Can we just go back to the hotel so I can drown myself in the fountain?"

"Absolutely not," Vaughn replies. "Drowning yourself would make kissing way more difficult. And no, I'm not into that."

Rhys laughs. "Um. Good. But I do want to know -"

Vaughn smiles. "I think that's a thing we can talk about. But maybe not, you know, in public."

Rhys had honestly forgotten they were in public. He's not registering anything but Vaughn. "Oh, um. Yes. Away from public would be good," he says and then his phone buzzes again. He's already started typing a rude response when he realizes it's Fiona, not Yvette. "Oh!" he says and backspaces as he actually reads the text.

_Pretty sure Sasha and I just witnessed your first kiss? Which. Dude. We thought you were already together._

_Ha ha not exactly,_ he answers.

 _Oh my god, that's...both precious and really stupid. Good luck, you two,_ Fiona replies.

Rhys casts an inquisitive glance around. _Where are you?_

 _In line again. Sasha likes roller coasters,_ Fiona says

Rhys smiles. _Of course she does. I would suggest dinner, but..._

 _Hahahahahahahahaha. Yeah, no. Maybe breakfast tomorrow?_ Fiona asks

Rhys shoots a look at Vaughn. _Maybe._

 _Let us know,_ she replies again.

"Who was that?" Vaughn asks.

"Fiona," Rhys replies and shows him the thread.

Vaughn reads it and turns a little pink. "Guess I didn't need to be, ah, jealous of them," Vaughn says.

"Um, really not," Rhys says.

Just as he's about to lean in for another kiss, his phone buzzes again. He glances at the display and makes a face. "Fuck. Vasquez wants to take us out for drinks. I don't think we can get out of it."

Vaughn grumbles something that sounds like "cockblock."

"Among other things," Rhys says with a sigh. "Why does he exist?"

"To torture us. Shit, what if he noticed we skipped out on the afternoon seminar?"

"He can shove it up his ass, he's not our boss," Rhys says.

"Well, no, but what if Henderson -"

"I'll make sure he doesn't," Rhys says. "I've been saving some dirt on Vasquez. I will use it if necessary."

"That's really hot," Vaughn mutters.

Rhys grins. "See, Fiona and Sasha would never think my ruthless corporate maneuvering is hot."

"Their loss." Vaughn tucks his fingers into Rhys's pocket.

Rhys wraps his arms around Vaughn. "I'm pretty happy with my choices too."

Vaughn looks around. "We really need to go back to the hotel."

Rhys sighs heavily. "Yeah. Ugh."

Vaughn pulls him back toward the elevators by the pocket. Rhys has to laugh. Once they get to the bottom floor, they get a cab back to the Bellagio. "Okay, but as soon as we can ditch Vasquez, it's you, me, our room, and _maybe_ some room service," Vaughn says.

Rhys bites his lip. Hard. "Yeah. That."

Vaughn takes his hand and squeezes it. "We've made it this far, we can make it through drinks with Assquez." He leans closer and murmurs in Rhys's ear. "He can't have you."

A shiver goes down Rhys's spine and he laces their fingers together. "Okay," he agrees. He gets a little bit more swing in his step as they walk into the lobby. He catches Vaughn smiling at him and honestly wants to do a little dance. He's so lucky.

He immediately feels incredibly unlucky when they finally meet up with Vasquez. Vasquez just makes him want to hunch his shoulders and avert his eyes. It's automatic. He doesn't, because he's fucking better than Vasquez, but he hates it. And he hates that he feels like he and Vaughn are hiding things.

Vaughn would probably just say they deserve privacy. Vasquez is the opposite of privacy. And if Vaughn and Fiona are right about Vasquez...he might be a massive dick about it all. They don't need that.

Vasquez flings his arms wide. "Ladies! Let me buy you a drink."

Rhys pastes on a smile. "We won't say no to that."

"Your presentation was excellent," Vasquez says, leading them toward the nearest bar.

"Didn't know you caught any of it," Rhys replies.

"I saw most of it, actually," Vasquez says. "Very impressive." He waves for a bartender and orders a round of shots.

Rhys holds in a grimace. He doesn't really want to drink, definitely doesn't want a shot. Vaughn pinches his arm lightly and gives him a meaningful look. Rhys schools his face and tries to look eager.

"To the next generation of Hyperion dominance," Vasquez says, toasting.

"Hear, hear," Rhys says, and doesn't say what he's thinking, which mostly amounts to the fact that he's going to do everything in his power to make sure Vasquez isn't part of the group.

Vasquez takes his shot and wipes his mouth. "Enjoying your afternoon?"

"It's been enlightening," Vaughn says. "Lots of good information today."

"Going back to take over the company, are you?" Vasquez jokes.

Rhys smiles. "Maybe not right away."

At the same time, Vaughn says, "yes."

Rhys glances at Vaughn and smirks. He's not even surprised. Between the two of them…yeah. Still, Vasquez doesn't need to know their plans. Except Vaughn is both braver and more obstinate than Rhys. Obnoxious, though - Rhys has a lock on that.

"Well, we'll just see how the cookie crumbles, won't we?" Vasquez asks. Rhys is almost overcome with the desire to do violence.

"And how was _your_ day?" Rhys finally replies.

"It was excellent, thank you," Vasquez replies. "I did a lot of good networking." Meaning he spent most of the day in a bar, Rhys is sure. He wasn't anywhere near them, so Rhys doesn't really care.

"Always a positive thing," he says.

"You two seemed to think so last night," Vasquez leers. "With your college friend."

Someday, Rhys is going to punch him in his smug, horrible face. "We moved to opposite ends of the country," Rhys says. "It was good to see her again."

"Struck out, eh? Better luck tonight."

Rhys is actually going to kill him. Slowly.

"You never know," Vaughn says agreeably.

"Hah!" Vasquez laughs and slaps his knee. Rhys has to clench his hands so he doesn't actually punch the guy. This is...not good. He shoots a look at Vaughn. _Help me, I'm gonna lose it,_ it says.

"Hey, thanks for the drink, Hugo," Vaughn says.

"Leaving so soon?" Vasquez says, sounding mystified.

Rhys tries not to panic, but he's pretty sure anything they say will screw them over. If they say they have a session or event they want to go to, Vasquez will tag along.

"I need to make some phone calls back to the office, but I forgot my card key," Vaughn replies smoothly.

"Ahhh, the curse of ambition," Vasquez says. "Always working."

"Working hard," Vaughn agrees, with a sidelong glance at Rhys.

Rhys tries very hard to keep his expression neutral. "C'mon, Vaughn. Let's get you up so you can those calls made. Thanks for the drink, Vasquez."

Vasquez waves jauntily, but Rhys thinks he looks annoyed.

"We're probably going to pay for that at some point," Rhys says when they get to the elevator. "But I really, really don't care."

"Fuck 'im," Vaughn says airily.

"Rather you'd fuck me," Rhys replies, then blushes immediately.

"Yeah," Vaughn says. "I think we can. Do that. Yeah." He grabs Rhys's hand when Rhys tries to skitter away.

Rhys takes a deep breath and laces their fingers together. He feels like he might float away.

When they get to the room, both of them have a hard time getting the door open. Rhys bangs his forehead against the wall by the door. "Of course." Vaughn laughs, then crows when the indicator changes to green.

Rhys lets himself be steered inside. Vaughn presses him up against the wall, lips brushing over his jaw. "Finally."

"Oh good, you still want to." Rhys leans down so they can kiss properly.

"Oh my god, of course," Vaughn says, completely exasperated. "I didn't, like, stop loving you in the last hour."

"Loving?" Rhys murmurs, frozen with hope.

"I mean. Yeah?" Vaughn says, looking away.

"Hey, no," Rhys says, chasing his eyes. "It's good, it's great."

Vaughn looks up at him with a small smile. "Yeah?"

"Fuck yeah," Rhys replies. "I. Fuck, Vaughn. I love you too. So much, bro. Like. I just. You're the best." Vaughn is beaming now and it's hard to be turned on when he just wants to stare in delight.

Vaughn reaches up, arms slipping around Rhys's neck. "Yeah," he murmurs. "Same."

Rhys leans down to kiss him again. Vaughn kisses back and it's...fuck, it's so good. Better than after the rollercoaster by far. They both have more confidence now, and they're alone, thank fuck.

"There's like. A bed. Over there. Two of them, even," Rhys says.

Vaughn laughs at him. "Moving fast, are we?"

"Well, we have a lot of slow to make up for," Rhys defends. When he tugs, Vaughn follows.

When they get near the bed, Rhys reaches for the buttons of Vaughn's conference-appropriate dress shirt.

"This needs to go away now."

"You too," Vaughn replies. Rhys nods and they both fumble at the buttons of their shirts until they're finally off.

Vaughn reaches out to lightly touch Rhys's tattoos. Rhys holds his breath as Vaughn's fingers trace over each detail. "You like?" he mutters.

"Of course," Vaughn replies. "I've wanted to touch them forever."

"You should have, I would have let you any time."

Vaughn laughs. "Noted." He leans forward to brush a kiss over Rhys's collarbones, then pulls back to finish with his own shirt. This time, Rhys figures he's welcome to stare. And he does. A lot.

"God, you're hot," Rhys says.

Vaughn shrugs up one shoulder. "If you say so. I mean. I'm glad you said so."

"You are," Rhys insists. "Like. Ridiculously hot, and I am kind of the luckiest dude in the world?"

Vaughn grins suddenly, and crowds Rhys back onto the edge of the mattress. "Yeah you are. Gonna make sure of it."

"That was awful," Rhys says.

"Oh, like you never tell awful jokes," Vaughn says with an eye roll.

"No, that's pretty much my thing," Rhys says. He gets his hands on Vaughn's waist and tugs.

Vaughn laughs as he lets himself be pulled between Rhys's legs. His hands rest on Rhys's shoulders. This time he's the one leaning down for the kiss. Rhys wraps his arms around Vaughn's waist and holds him close. It's so fucking _good_ , he doesn't know what to do with himself.

"That's so nice," he babbles. "I...fuck. So nice."

Vaughn smiles at him fondly. "You are a massive dork," he says.

"Um. Not wrong." Rhys smiles back.

Vaughn nudges him and Rhys moves up the bed. As he scrambles backwards, Vaughn fumbles for his belt. Rhys bites his lip and watches. God, he wants Vaughn so much. He has for months. Or maybe ever since they met.

Vaughn shucks off his trousers and crawls onto the bed. Rhys reaches out for him and tugs him up the rest of the way. "Do mine now," he breathes.

Vaughn smiles and reaches for his belt. "Demanding."

"I can be more demanding if you want."

"I wouldn't mind," Vaughn replies. "I wouldn't mind anything about you," he says with a crooked smile.

Rhys pulls him up for a kiss because he can't not. "I don't want to be demanding, I just want you."

"Yeah, same." They're both smiling too much for the kiss to be very good, but Rhys doesn't care. He lets himself stroke over Vaughn's skin, slow and gentle, eyes drooping closed. Vaughn puts his lips to Rhys's tattoos, sliding over his collarbones and down his chest. Rhys sighs happily. He's pretty sure he's just. Never going to stop being happy now.

His stomach heaves as Vaughn's mouth moves steadily lower. "Vaughn," he breathes. Vaughn grins up at him and then leans down to kiss then jut of his hip. All the blood abruptly leaves Rhys's head. "God," Rhys says and lets his head fall back against the pillows as Vaughn nuzzles the skin right next to Rhys's cock.

It tickles, and he wants to yelp and moan at the same time. Vaughn wraps a hand around the base of his cock and Rhys decides on moaning. Moaning feels good, so he does it again when Vaughn licks delicately across the head.

"Fuck," he gasps and puts his hand into Vaughn's hair.

Vaughn shushes him and takes him into his mouth. Rhys's fingers clench and he moans again. Vaughn's mouth is hot and his tongue slides against his cock. He's not tentative at all, just slow. Rhys already feels overwhelmed. It's _Vaughn_ and his _mouth_. Everything he does just winds Rhys tighter. Rhys is pretty sure Vaughn could just _look_ at him and he'd get more turned on.

It's just too much to take. Vaughn is too good at this. Rhys wants to ask him a million questions, but he can't even say his name. And then he takes all of Rhys into his mouth, moving his hand to Rhys's hip.

Rhys chokes, trying to keep his hips still. Vaughn, though. Vaughn encourages him with his hands and hums around him when Rhys experimentally gives a small thrust. Rhys squeezes his eyes closed and tries it again. Vaughn moves with him, hands loose on his hips and Rhys gives up holding back. He fucks into Vaughn's mouth with as much rhythm and control as he can muster.

It doesn't turn out he can muster a lot of either, but Vaughn keeps sucking him, keeps stroking his hands over Rhys's sides. "Gonna, Vaughn - I'm -"

Vaughn hums again and Rhys comes, fingers clenching in his hair. He whines deep in his throat, too little breath left for any more words. Vaughn sucks him through it, fingers finally tightening on Rhys's hips as he pulls back and off.

Rhys loosens the fingers in his hair, smoothing it back. "Fuck, Vaughn," Rhys says as Vaughn wipes the back of his hand over his mouth.

"That's next," Vaughn jokes hoarsely, but he's just looking at Rhys, eyes climbing over his face and body.

" _Come here_ ," Rhys says and Vaughn laughs as he moves up Rhys's body.

Rhys rolls him over and kisses him until he stops laughing. Vaughn's arms are tight around his shoulders and Rhys can feel his cock against his belly. He lets his hands wander down to Vaughn's ass and squeeze.

It's Vaughn's turn to moan and Rhys loves the sound of it, loves that he can feel it in his chest.

"That was so good," he whispers.

Vaughn smiles. "Yeah?"

Rhys laughs. "You know it was."

"I'm a little embarrassed it was, you know..."

"Vaughn, that was the best blow job I've had in my _life_ ," Rhys says.

"Well, okay," Vaughn replies. "I do really want to -"

"Fuck?" Rhys asks hopefully, face heating.

" _Yes_ ," Vaughn says and Rhys can't stop the laugh of delight that escapes him. "Will you let me get you ready now?" he murmurs.

"Yeah," Rhys breathes. "Fuck yeah. Wait, do you have stuff?"

Vaughn looks suddenly stricken. "Um. Not...really."

Rhys laughs and kisses him. "Lucky for you, I do."

"Such a boy scout," Vaughn groans, rolling off of him and throwing an arm over his face.

Rhys laughs and leans down to kiss him again. "More like, I had, uh, hopes."

"I'd call it creepy, but I'm just too grateful," Vaughn smiles.

Rhys rolls his eyes and kisses Vaughn again before rolling off the bed to go rummage through his bag. His face is red when he hands them off to Vaughn.

"C'mere," Vaughn says and tugs Rhys's hand until he's on the bed next to him. He goes back to kissing Rhys's neck, which is nice but distracting. Rhys is about to speak up when Vaughn gently slides a hand over and down between his thighs. He squeaks and lets his knees spread.

He feels Vaughn smile against his neck, and then his fingers stroke back. They dip behind his balls and circle gently around his opening. So slowly, Rhys can't take it. He bites the inside of his cheek and breathes. "God, you love this, don't you?" Vaughn says.

"Being - teased?" Rhys gasps.

"Mmm," Vaughn murmurs.

"Yes," he admits. "Fuck, Vaughn."

"I don't mind," Vaughn nuzzles his jaw, pressing in gently with a fingertip.

Rhys sucks in a breath. "Like you touching me," Rhys says. "Being teased is...good too. But."

Vaughn eases his finger in further. "I know."

"Good," Rhys babbles. "Because like. Fuck, Vaughn. It's you. Always you." Vaughn laughs at him, but it's okay, Rhys is okay with not having the fucking faculty of speech.

"I love you," Vaughn tells him.

"You too," Rhys gasps as Vaughn starts moving his finger. "So much."

Soon the thrusts are deep and steal his breath. "Gonna add another finger, Rhys," Vaughn murmurs and Rhys bites his lip in anticipation. The lube is cold and makes him gasp, but the stretch is enough to make him forget. It's perfect and Vaughn's face is the picture of focus.

"Vaughn," Rhys moans.

"I've got you," Vaughn promises. "You're doing fine, I'm going to make you feel so good."

"I know," Rhys breathes. "God, why didn't we do this so much sooner?"

"We're very, very stupid," Vaughn drawls.

Rhys laughs. "Yeah, that. Probably. That's definitely what Yvette will say."

"Mm-hm." Vaughn's attention is wandering again, but only to whatever it is that he's doing with his fingers, which is -

"Shit," Rhys yelps, hips jerking. He thinks he's getting hard again.

Vaughn laughs against his skin. "I assume that means good things?"

"Keep going," Rhys grits.

"Yeah, okay," Vaughn replies and leans up to kiss him before giving him another finger.

Rhys moans. He's ready, he swears, but something about Vaughn steals his breath and his words. And Vaughn seems intent on teasing him more. He rocks his hips up, cock smearing a damp line against his stomach. He watches Vaughn stare at him. He looks so fucking turned on and god, Rhys wants him.

“Vaughn,” he finally manages. “I’m ready. Please.”

Vaughn shakes himself. "Yeah, okay. God, Rhys." His voice is a little shaky too. He's gentle when he pulls his fingers out but Rhys still whimpers.

Vaughn kisses his chest and rolls the condom down his cock. Rhys reaches out and runs his hand through Vaughn’s hair. Vaughn smiles and moves closer, hands wrapping around Rhys's thighs and lifting.

Rhys forces himself to take deep, measured breaths, hands gripping the sheets. He feels the slow, steady pressure of Vaughn pushing in, eyes locked on what he's doing. Rhys's eyes are locked on him.

Vaughn leans over and tugs one of his hands from its grip on the sheets and laces their fingers together. He doesn't stop moving until he's in as far as he can be. He feels so fucking good and Rhys can barely breathe, let alone tell him so.

Vaughn squeezes his fingers. “Rhys,” he breathes. “Fuck.”

Rhys is still deciding if he can move without losing it. He's so hard he can't believe he just came not that long ago.

Vaughn laughs breathlessly. “I, uh. Let’s just. Stay like this for a second? I don’t wanna…but yeah.”

“Same, bro,” Rhys replies and squeezes his hand. Vaughn nuzzles his neck gently. Rhys manages to let go of the bed with his other hand and reach up to cup Vaughn’s cheek. "Can you move now? I think I'm ready."

“I think so,” he replies and he gives Rhys a slow thrust. They both gasp.

“God, that’s good,” Rhys says.

“Yeah,” Vaughn agrees and does it again. Rhys gathers himself enough to wrap his legs around Vaughn's narrow waist. That draws a moan from Vaughn and his thrust stutters a bit. "Thought about that a lot," he mutters.

“Yeah?” Rhys asks, stroking his hands down Vaughn’s back.

"Have you seen your legs?"

Rhys laughs and wraps a hand around the back of his neck and pulls him down for a kiss. "More," he whispers against his cheek.

“Yeah, okay,” Vaughn says and this time his thrusts are faster.

Rhys shuts his eyes and listens to Vaughn pant into his ear with a whine of happiness. He feels like his whole body is on fire in the best way and Vaughn just keeps thrusting. Eventually Vaughn's breaths start to sound like his name.

If Rhys could form words at all, he’d be saying Vaughn’s name. His hands snake into Vaughn's hair and he pushes their mouths back together.

Vaughn uses the hand not gripping Rhys’s to reach between them and wrap around his cock. Rhys bucks up into it, groin going impossibly tighter. He moans into Vaughn’s mouth and his fingers tighten in his hair.

This is everything he needs. Vaughn keeps thrusting, keeps his hand on Rhys’s cock. Every moment is perfect. He can feel the break in Vaughn's breath when he comes, but he keeps his hand tight and Rhys arches up hard.

It takes just a couple more strokes of Vaughn’s hand before Rhys comes too. This time, he does cry out, Vaughn's name slipping through his lips.

Vaughn kisses him until they both stop shaking. It takes a few minutes. Rhys starts babbling immediately when their lips part. Vaughn just laughs and kisses him again.

“That’s going to come in handy,” he says. Rhys makes an irritated noise and Vaughn tugs on an errant lock of hair. "Don't deny it."

“Fine,” Rhys says. “You’re lucky I love you.”

“Yeah,” Vaughn says with a soft smile. “I am.”

"Wait, no," Rhys says quickly. "Scratch that and reverse it."

Vaughn laughs and kisses him again. "Whatever you say, Rhys."

Rhys curls his arms tightly around Vaughn’s neck and clings. Vaughn switches to kissing the tattoo on his neck. It tickles but he doesn't care. Rhys is pretty sure he could stay like this forever. Except his stomach growls. He's perfectly happy ignoring it, because kissing, but Vaughn's echoes it a minute later.

“Room service?” Rhys asks, laughing.

"Who's putting on pants to answer the door?" Vaughn replies.

“Nose goes,” he says, putting his fingers to his nose.

“Ugh, fuck you,” Vaughn says. “How do you even know nose goes, you’re an only child.”

“I had cousins!” Rhys replies.

"Fuck you," Vaughn repeats.

"You just did," Rhys laughs.

Vaughn huffs and Rhys kisses him before getting up to go get the room service menu. He smacks Vaughn in the stomach with it, then curls up behind him to read it over his shoulder.

“I think I need a burger,” Rhys says.

“I might need _two_ burgers,” Vaughn says.

"You can have whatever you want."

Vaughn looks up at him with a smile. “I can, can I?”

Rhys bites at his ear. "Anything. Name it."

“Anything, huh?” Vaughn asks. “I might have to think on that for a while.”

"Order food first," Rhys suggests.

“Yeah, food,” Vaughn says. He reaches out for the phone on the bedside table. “You were serious about the burger, right?”

Rhys nods. "Thanks, bro."

Vaughn makes the call and then settles back against Rhys’s chest, sighing happily. Rhys kisses his temple and wraps his arms snugly around him. "I just want to touch you all the time," he says wryly.

“Well, that works out, because I want the same thing,” Vaughn says. "And you weren't doing a great job of not touching me before. Which was torture, by the way."

“Sorry,” Rhys says. He tries to sound contrite, but it was honestly all he could do to not touch Vaughn even _more._

"Mm, yeah." Vaughn nuzzles him again. Apparently it's a _him_ thing. He can keep doing it.

“I love you,” Rhys says. Because he _can_. Because it’s true.

"Say it again if you want," Vaughn tells him.

“I love you,” he says. “So goddamn much it makes me dizzy.”

"Sounds bad. You should probably lie down."

Rhys laughs. “I mostly am. And I’m pretty sure that would be, uh, a problem when it comes to actually getting our food and eating it.”

"Oh, right, because you lost," Vaughn teases. "Maybe you should get some pants on."

“I didn’t lose! I specifically remember my fingers being on my nose when I said nose goes,” Rhys replies.

"Cheating, you mean."

“I mean winning,” Rhys sniffs.

"Fine," Vaughn sighs.

“I’ll do it next time,” Rhys promises. He punctuates it with a kiss.

“Holding you to that,” Vaughn murmurs against his lips.

“I’d let you hold me to pretty much anything,” Rhys says.

"You would," Vaughn says. He sounds smirky.

“I would,” Rhys responds and kisses him. He keeps doing it until Vaughn crawls into his lap, and doesn't stop until there actually is a knock on their door. He pulls away with what is clearly a _lot_ of reluctance and tugs on a t-shirt and some pants, then answers. He brings back a tray full of amazing-smelling food. They eat right on top of the rumpled bedspread.

It’s maybe the best meal Rhys has ever eaten. For a whole lot of reasons. But it still feels like the takeout they share in his office when they're working on a project. And that’s. It’s _perfect._ Vaughn gives him his pickles, and Rhys gives Vaughn his tomatoes, and it’s perfect.

Later - a lot later, because Rhys has other priorities at the moment - they pick up Vaughn's laptop to Skype Yvette. “See!” Rhys says. “I’m not useless.”

"Really not useless," Vaughn adds from beside him.

“Oh my god, I don’t want to know,” Yvette says. “As long as you’re both done _moping_ , that’s all I care about.”

"Totally done," Rhys promises.

“Thank god for that,” Yvette says. “I’m happy for you guys.”

"Thanks," Vaughn says. "I'm serious. Thank you so much for not giving up on giving him shit."

“Hey! I’d have…eventually. I would have,” Rhys says. They both look at him skeptically. He sighs. They know him too well. “Hey, if I hadn’t, you would have,” Rhys tells Vaughn. “You’re the brave one.”

"This is where I sign off," Yvette groans. "Although that is a true statement."

“Thank you, Yvette,” Rhys says. He means it in a lot of ways, really.

"Don't mention it," she says dryly.

“Bye, Yvette. See you at work,” Vaughn says and closes the lid of the laptop. Then he grins at Rhys. "Now what?"

“Now, we make out. Because we can,” Rhys replies with grin. 

Making out turns into more sex. Which turns into more late-night room service. Rhys is _pretty sure_ they’re living their best lives. It’s great.

Sleeping together is great too, even when morning comes too early. Getting ready is _way_ less weird and awkward, though, so that’s nice. For a lot of reasons. At least half of them are because he can look at Vaughn all he wants.

The other half are the way Vaughn comes over to kiss him whenever he catches him. Which results in them taking a little bit longer to get out the door than anticipated, but it’s fine, even though Sasha has texted him four times in the past twenty minutes. Three were making fun of Fiona's coffee-deprived fumblings, but one was informing him peremptorily that she is starving, thank you very much.

 _Coming, coming,_ he responds as they head out the door.

He reaches for Vaughn's hand in the elevator. Vaughn smiles at him and laces their fingers together. It feels right. More right than probably anything else Rhys has ever done. So does walking that way across the street to the restaurant Sasha had texted them the name of.

“We’re here to meet friends,” Rhys tells the host just as he sees Fiona wave at him.

They have coffee waiting too, and Rhys tries not to dive into it too obviously. Fiona laughs at him, so he's clearly not that successful.

"And how was your evening?" Sasha asks sweetly.

“It was amazing, thanks,” Vaughn replies with a grin.

"So polite," Rhys grumbles, pouring coffee as close to the brim of his mug as he can manage.

“If you want to elaborate, be my guest,” Vaughn says. Predictably, Rhys turns bright red.

Sasha and Fiona just laugh. “We were taking bets the night before,” Sasha says. “About whether you were together or not.”

"Who won?" Vaughn asks brightly.

"Her," Fiona says with a disgusted sigh. "I had way too much faith in you guys."

"She's so sad. I promised her a mani-pedi later to make up for all the winning." Sasha grins.

Rhys sighs. “We were…okay, _I_ was dumb.”

"Dumb and cute. Score, Vaughn." Sasha offers a fistbump.

Vaughn laughs and bumps her fist with his. Rhys harrumphs into his coffee. He catches Fiona's eye and they share a brief moment of disgusted solidarity at their respective morning people. “Any idea what’s good here?” Rhys asks, looking at his menu.

"Crepes," Fiona says, reaching over and tapping his menu.

“Thanks,” he says.

She taps again. “I know we just met, but I’m happy for you; it's so... rewarding to be nice to you. You're like these little helpless puppies."

Rhys rolls his eyes, but he can't help the smile that crosses his face. "We're not _that_ bad." He hears Vaughn snickering into his orange juice and tries not to pout. “You all suck,” Rhys says.

“Damn right I do,” Vaughn says.

Sasha and Fiona both protest. Loudly. Rhys laughs into his coffee just as their waiter comes to the table.

"So," Fiona asks as they're cutting into their crepes, "do you have more boring businessman meetings today?"

"Probably," Rhys says. "And to think I was excited about those before we left."

"You're still excited," Vaughn says. "Inside."

Rhys opens his mouth and closes it again. "Know that I am refraining from making a joke right now because Fiona would kick me." The rest of the table groans. "Hey, at least I didn't say it!" Rhys defends.

"But now we're all _thinking_ it," Sasha complains.

"I can't control that," Rhys sniffs. Vaughn laughs and he sounds so goddamn _happy_ , Rhys wants to hear that laugh all the time forever. "What do you want to do today?" he asks.

"I don't know. What do you guys think?" Vaughn asks. "Any cool things in town we could catch?"

"Male revue?" Sasha says, eyes sparkling. "I can give my friend August a call, get us really good seats."

Vaughn laughs. "That sounds like exactly the sort of thing you're supposed to do in Vegas. Count me in."

"That sounds like the setup for a terrible movie," Rhys points out.

"Whatever. I know you have Magic Mike on DVD and I know you watch it all the time," Vaughn says.

Whatever. Rhys isn't the only person in the world with a thing for bendy guys with nice abs. "I didn't say I wasn't in," Rhys says. "Just that it sounds like a setup for a bad movie." Fiona is still laughing at him, and he prods her with a coffee spoon. "Stop it."

"But you're hilarious," she says. He sticks his tongue out at her.

"Fine. But we can't miss the morning session."

"That's fine. Sash and I still have some shopping to do," Fiona says. Rhys is pretty sure their definitions of shopping differ somewhat. He can't help thinking about all the shoe stores they'd walked past yesterday, though.

"We, um. Might have some shopping to do before we leave as well," he says.

Vaughn snickers. "Of course we do."

"Shoes are important," Rhys says. "To me."

"I know," Vaughn smiles.

Rhys smiles and presses his thigh against Vaughn's. "I'll buy you a present," he coaxes.

Vaughn laughs. "I don't really need to be bribed, but I won't say no to it."

"It's just payback for all the lunches," Rhys tells him.

"I was wooing you with those lunches," Vaughn says. "No payback required."

"Oh my god," Sasha says. "Maybe you're both hopeless."

Rhys is pretty sure she's right.

"We got it together eventually!" Vaughn says. "That has to count for something."

"Sure it does," Fiona drawls. "This time, breakfast is on us. Get outta here."

"I'll text later," Rhys promises and he and Vaughn leave hand in hand to go back to the conference.

It's just - something, Rhys doesn't want to call it bad luck - that Vasquez is outside the auditorium smoking when they show up.

Vasquez's eyes zero in on their still-clasped hands. Rhys bites the inside of his cheek. He refuses to let go of Vaughn’s hand, though. Vasquez is an asshole and he’ll probably try to use this against them somehow, but Rhys won’t hide. Not about this.

"Well, will you look at that," Vasquez says.

Rhys smiles and says breezily, “Been a long time coming. Have a good evening, Vasquez?”

"Of course," Vasquez drawls, but he looks like he doesn't quite know what to do with his face.

Rhys can feel his smirk grow. “Glad to hear it.”

"No, you're not," Vaughn mutters. Rhys squeezes his fingers tight and tries not to laugh.

"And where are you two headed?" Vasquez asks. He sounds a little like he's grinding his teeth. This is the best day of Rhys's life.

“To the morning session, Hugo,” Vaughn says. “How about you?”

"Same, same. Too bad they didn't invite me to be on the panel this year," Vasquez sighs.

"Too bad," Rhys even manages to sound genuine. Yet more proof Vaughn is good for him. "See you later," Rhys says and lets Vaughn tug him into the room.

"Good boy," Vaughn says. "No bloodshed."

"Let's be real, it'd probably be my blood," Rhys says.

Vaughn laughs. "I'd protect you."

"That's...sweet and also terrifying. You are much scarier than you look, you know."

"I know," Vaughn replies, smirking.

"Maybe I'll just rip his face off myself," Rhys says stubbornly. "It could happen."

Vaughn laughs and squeezes his hand. "Maybe someday. On a different planet."

They find seats in the back of the auditorium and Rhys sneaks a kiss as they sit down. Vaughn's smile is enough to make him do it again. "So this is nice. What conference are we going to next weekend?" he teases.

Vaughn laughs. "Maybe the conference at your apartment where we order takeout and don't leave until Monday morning."

"This is why you're the brilliant one," Rhys tells him.

Vaughn leans into his side as the panel starts. Rhys is totally still paying attention, though. Sort of. Mostly. He's aware of what's going on. He's just…also aware of how warm Vaughn is under his arm. Actually, this is totally enhancing the experience.

"Vaughn, you make everything better," he murmurs contentedly. He watches Vaughn's profile as a smile spreads over his face and leans in to kiss his cheek. Now that he's allowed, he's never going to stop.

"You're ridiculous," Vaughn whispers.

"I know," Rhys replies and kisses him again. He definitely knows. He doesn't care.

Vaughn laces their fingers together and squeezes Rhys's hand. Then they both settle down to listen to the presenters. It really is a good presentation and god, Rhys is glad Vasquez isn’t up there. He gets a shiver down his spine every once in a while just knowing Vasquez is probably watching them. He nuzzles Vaughn every time.

He’s probably going to pay for this at some point later, but he doesn’t care. He’s got Vaughn. Also Vegas, new friends, and the promise of a male revue. It really has been a successful weekend. They’ll be back to their normal lives soon enough. There’s no reason not to indulge.

Rhys is planning to indulge repeatedly. As often as possible. He never claimed to be one for moderation.


End file.
